Why We Didn't End Up Together
by halolegend48
Summary: This is a short add on cunclusion story between Ichigo and Rukia's relationship in chapter 686. I will forever believe this is what Ichigo and Rukia truly feel about each other. No one can stop me. Enjoy and I hope this heals some of the pain my fellow Ichiruki fans are feeling.


10 years later. After the defeat of Yhwach, there has been nothing but peace. The soul society barely had any serious issues to handle, as well as the world of the living, besides the usual, hollows. After 10 years… Ichigo married Orihime and have a child named Kazui. It took some time for Ichigo to give her a chance and date her, but when he did, he realized that she was someone he could learn to love more than a friend. She loved him with her all and that was enough to feel content with the relationship…

"Ichigo! There's someone at the door," Orihime told him from afar in the kitchen. He was sitting on the couch. He already knew who it was. Most of everyone was at the house, waiting to watch Chad's fight on TV. Tatsuki, Mizuiro, and Keigo. Of course Karin and Yuzu were hanging around as well, enjoying the company.

Ichigo got up from the couch and headed for the door. He took his time. He had too.

 _Three years before currently, Rukia had visit him. He was happy to see her. He hadn't seen her since the previous war. She looked well off and happy. Her hair was longer and as beautiful as ever, no matter what length it was. They took a walk to the spot his life changed for the worse. Where his mom died. But then, with Rukia, the sun was setting and all he could feel was the peaceful moment of being with her. She said she had something to tell him. He had something to tell her as well._

 _She looked at Ichigo with a curious stare. "Why'd you cut your hair?"_

 _"_ _You really want to know?"_

 _"_ _I guess… not really."_

 _"_ _Then don't ask me." He told her, reciting her words from the third day he knew while they were walking. She seemed to remember it as well then, an annoyed smile spreading on her face._

 _"_ _Idiot."_

 _"_ _So… do you want to know?"_

 _"_ _Not anymore I don't," She said childishly._

 _There was a reason why actually… It wasn't just because he felt the need for a style change to go along with his age._

 _He was glad Rukia decided to let it go. "Guess what soul reaper rank I am now."_

 _If he had to take a guess, she should be captain by then. He remembers thinking she better be. She was too good of a soul reaper for them to pass her up and give the title to someone else. He acted like it was an honest guess. "Captain?"_

 _She got excited then. "Yes, captain! You are now looking at, Captain Kuchiki." Rukia smirked at him, with a look to playfully rub it in as she said, "Your superior now."_

 _"_ _Would've been my superior." He admitted to her, not being able to keep his happy bright mood up when he said that. Those words were honestly bitter to say._

 _Rukia calmed down, and gotten more leveled minded with him after hearing that. "What do you mean? Does this have something to do with what you have to tell me?"_

 _"_ _Ah. Part of it, yeah. I… decided to… give up being a soul reaper."_

 _She didn't look like she was prepared to her those shocking words come from him. It didn't make any sense to her at all. "Really…"_

 _"_ _Yup… and, Orihime and I…"_

 _He didn't have to say it for her to know by then. She finished his thought lowly, "You two are together, right?"_

 _Ichigo was taken aback. How did she know? "How did you know?"_

 _"_ _I knew she liked you. A lot. Glad to hear that she… somewhere down the line decided to confess to you." Somehow, to her, she didn't feel glad at all…_

 _Ichigo nodded. "Yeah. Well… I didn't exactly respond to her confession for about a year." His hand raised to his head, rubbing at his soft hair before letting it fall. "I had to really think it over." A chuckle rose from him then, cutting into the awkward air, releasing some of it. "A year to… which sounds pretty stupid. I can't believe she waited on me for that long." The next words were going to hurt him. A part of him hoped to see a glimmer of how he felt in her eyes. "I'm happy she did, you know? We're… getting married by the middle of this year." His smile was half honest and not at the same time. He paid close attention to see how Rukia would react to his news. It took her moment to sink it in, he could tell. But after a good moment, she smiled. This smile reminded him of the look she gave him the day after school, before she disappeared to leave without saying goodbye._

 _"_ _That's great, Ichigo. I'm happy for you two! Really."_

 _"_ _Thanks." The air was odd around them. "Um… was that all you wanted to tell me? About you being captain now?"_

 _She shook her head. Brows creasing for a second. It didn't match the happy look she was trying to sell him at all, but he acted to not notice it. Her brows relaxed, once she got her thoughts together. "I'm married!"_

 _His eyes went wide. "What?" Ichigo wasn't ready to hear those words. "To who? When did this happen?"_

 _"_ _I married Renji. It happened about, a month ago." She admitted._

 _"_ _Rukia Abarai? Captain Abarai," He said that last part as a correction to her title._

 _She nodded. "We also… have a daughter as well."_

 _"_ _Rukia!" Ichigo didn't know if he could take anymore confessions to her news. She married Renji… She dated Renji… She had a child with Renji! And she never told him about any of this at the current time it all happened! He felt upset. He felt mad. Most of all, he couldn't help but admit to himself that, damn it, he felt sad about it all…_

 _But he didn't show it. He couldn't show it and she would never know it._

 _Not true to his inner turmoil and war with his feelings, Ichigo's features settled for a simple surprised face. "Oh. Wow. Rukia, that's really great. I'm happy for you two."_

 _She looked at him warmly. "Thank you. Those words mean a lot."_

 _Silence fell between them as the sun finally fully set. The moon took over._

 _"_ _A lot has happened for us bother in the past seven years." Ichigo said, breaking the comfortable silence._

 _Rukia took a deep breath, released it and stared at the reflection of the moon in the water with a look that said a million words. But never said allowed. "Yeah."_

Ichigo opened the door with a smile, greeting Rukia and Renji. Later that day, when night began to come around, everyone was starting to leave. Keigo, Tatsuki, and Mizuiro had said their goodbyes. Karin and Yuzu had left to go hang out with friends. Renji was passed out on the couch. Rukia was staring down at him with adoration. Ichigo didn't interrupt her personal moment. He headed upstairs to see what the kids were doing in his old room. Opening the door, he sees Kazui and Ichika sleeping on the bed in their soul reaper uniform. He would let himself laugh at the cute sight, but he held it in, so that he wouldn't wake them. Closing the door and turning back around in the hall, Orihime meets him half way with a loving and knowing look.

"Hey—"

"I know you need to talk with her."

"With her?" What was she talking about all of the sudden?

"With Rukia, Ichigo. I know there's something you have to say to her, get off your chest. I've been seeing it between you two all day." She said sadly.

Ichigo felt bad and guilty. He never wanted to make her feel sad or upset with him. "No. I don't." He tried to pull her in an embrace, but she moved away from his reach.

Orihime remained stern with her words and what she knew. "Yes. You do. I love you. I love you enough to let you go. For just tonight." There was a gleam of a tear in her eyes, but she didn't stay around him long enough for him to see the tear fall.

Ichigo felt like yelling and punching a wall. She knew… This whole time he had been hurting her. She still loves even still. God. He doesn't deserve someone as wonderful as her. But she was right. He needed to talk to Rukia.

They needed to close the door that's refusing to close. For both their spouses' sake.

Walking down the stairs with this heavy resolve, Rukia looked like she was waiting for him. "Take a walk with me?" She asked him.

"Sure."

Outside, they had walked until they found themselves at the spot where his mother had died again. Just like three years ago. They sat down, under the moon light and the quiet surrounding with nothing but the soft sounds of water.

"Ichigo. Why did you cut your hair?"

The mass amount of different feelings that he was experiencing were building up to the breaking point inside him. He ignored her question and countered her with a different one. "Do you remember when we first met?"

"Of course I do. Why are you bringing this up now?"

"You not only saved my life and my families, but you saved _me_. Me. Who I am inside of the empty body that walked in. You gave me the purpose that I didn't know I needed to feel alive. During those months of knowing you, it was easy to ignore the rain constantly pouring inside of me. But then you left. Saving me again. Not only were you taken away, but that purpose as well for the time being before I got it back. But I didn't just want that purpose. I wanted you as well. Without you, the world was a constant storm for me that I couldn't ignore anymore. And when I saved you. And the soul society recovered from that Aizen incident, and our final moment before I realized you weren't coming with me back home. I have to tell you Rukia. I was devastated. But the look on your face. I could see that you already had made up your mind. And the smile that you showed me. Gave me. I realized why I wanted to save you so bad. You. Stopped the rain for good. If I didn't save you, I would have never forgiven myself. My life would have continued to rain on me."

Tears were welling up in her eyes. Her smile was broken and soft. " _Ichigo_. Why did you cut your hair?"

"Because I loss you. The worst thing about it, I loss you because the world was against us. You're dead. I'm not. You age slow. I don't. To know that I couldn't be with you because I just couldn't, really tore me down. To know that I could fight through a thousand blades for you, but lose to the blade of the world, just…"

"Isn't fair." She finished. Her tears falling.

"Yeah…" He needed to know. Needed to hear it. "Do you love me?" She nodded, sobbing. "I need to hear it, Rukia, please."

She suddenly gripped him in an embrace, breaking down in his arms. "Yes! _Yes_ , I love you, Ichigo Kurosaki. I always have and I always will."

He held her tightly, securing her well in his strong arms as he kissed her cheek. He whispered to her, "I love you too, Rukia—" a choked up, a tear falling, "Abarai."

They stayed in each other's arms for almost an hour. They stayed in the moment where they finally were together for only that time. They shared each other's pain sorrow. They will for many tomorrows.

Why didn't we end up together?

Because the blade of the world was against us.


End file.
